


Veronica Mars, Season 1, Episode 2, Credit Where Credit's Due

by TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Analysis, Episode Review, Episode: s01e02 Credit Where Credit's Due, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 02, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-03-30
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23394145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer/pseuds/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer
Summary: Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode and the rest of the series. Complete.
Kudos: 1





	Veronica Mars, Season 1, Episode 2, Credit Where Credit's Due

Open to Wallace and Veronica in the hallway. He shows her a flyer he found for an 099er party, and teaching him how to decode the symbols telling where and when it is, she explains an ‘099er’ is someone who lives in a certain zip code.

At the party in question, Duncan and Troy sit together in a car, and I had to look up another review to be able to identify them due to a combination of horrible lighting and Duncan being much more animated than I’m used to. Because this show originally aired on UPN, Troy self-censors as he says, “burn this mother down.” Also, I’d forgotten Troy’s introduction to the show was as Duncan’s friend.

They get out, and Duncan leads Troy over to Logan and Logan’s girlfriend, Caitlin Ford, played by Paris Hilton.

Logan asks who Duncan’s date is, and Caitlin fangirls Troy as a form of exposition. It’s established Troy will be enrolling into Neptune, and then, there’s a squeal. The camera pans over to Felix sexually assaulting a girl via grinding against her, and Weevil wanders over to keg. Logan tells him the party’s private.

Weevil makes a big deal about the 099ers being on the PCHer’s beach, and I find both characters to be idiots in this scene.

Logan says that it’s fifteen against four.

As someone who does not have a good relationship with mathematics or almost anything involving numbers, really, I’m 90-something sure his math is completely bogus here.

Then, he calls Caitlin over, and it’s established she has about the same amount of class, tact, and non-annoyingness as her boyfriend. They make a big deal about how rich Logan is, and it’s revealed Weevil’s grandmother is a housekeeper for the Echolls’.

One of the PCHers is Weevil’s visiting cousin, and he gives as good as Logan does.

Then, in a squad car, Lamb and Sacks appear. Turning on the lights, Lamb demands over the intercom everyone stay to present their IDs.

Naturally, everyone runs, and just from his body language, I’m inclined to think Lamb would have gotten out to smack anyone who actually followed his instructions. Sacks, bless him, clearly thinks this isn’t good, but Lamb declares he’s going to have cookout tomorrow night. The abandoned kegs they’re about confiscate will really top it off.

The next day, Weevil and his cousin are playing video games at his house. There’s a knock on the door followed by Lamb announcing it’s the sheriff department, and Grandma Weevil exasperatedly wonders what Weevil and his cousin have done. They assure her they’ll take care of it, and answering the door, Weevil bitterly asking if Lamb has tracked down all the rich white kids.

I like Weevil, but whenever he grabs the idiot ball, I’m going to call him on it.

Grandma Weevil is arrested on credit card fraud, and Weevil protests she doesn’t have any credit cards. In a tone implying how much of an idiot he finds Weevil to be, Lamb replies, “Not in her own name, no.” He pointedly explains _someone_ stole credit card offers from the Echolls’ trash to build accounts out of them.

At the Mars household, Grandma Weevil’s legal representative, Cliff, is listing the credit card charges to Keith. It’s agreed the charges indicate someone much younger than her is responsible. They both agree it’s Weevil, but showing loyalty, Veronica suggests Lamb could have set Weevil up.

Establishing Keith has been picking Weevil up since Weevil was twelve, Keith is unconvinced. Veronica says Weevil recently helped her out. Cliff makes it clear he doesn’t particularly care if Weevil is or isn’t responsible; all he cares about is, “I’ve got a grandma in jail, and I’d really like to get her out.” He leaves, and Keith asks Veronica to talk to Weevil to try to find out what’s going on.

Going to Weevil’s house, Veronica VOs that the trouble with being friends with a gang member is that, well, they’re a gang member. Weevil comes out, and he’s bitter about her arrival.

He finishes his rant about her not being a true outsider by harshly ordering her to leave.

Finally, 8 minutes and 41 seconds in, the credits appear.

Afterwards, Keith and Veronica are sitting in a restaurant, and Keith makes Veronica take off her cap. Appearing, Lamb rudely sits down at their table. He and Keith insult one another. Once Lamb leaves, Veronica says she has to go see the school counsellor.

Once she gets there, she’s checked out by Troy. Coming in, Wallace explains he’s an office aide. Veronica orders him to copy some attendance records she needs, and he doesn’t put up much of a protest.

Going to Newspaper, she tells the teacher the counsellor put her there. Caitlin is in said class. Veronica asks if she could be a photographer, and the teacher agrees.

The teacher tries to give her a class camera, withdrawing her own high-tech camera, Veronica geeks out about it. Then, the teacher puts Veronica and Duncan together on a project.

At lunch, Veronica and Wallace look over the charges and the attendance record, and Wallace reminds her Weevil taped him naked to a flagpole.

Dismissive of this, she points out Weevil was in auto-shop 7 out of the 8 times a charge was made. Wallace asks if she isn’t supposed to be trying to prove Weevil guilty so that Grandma Weevil will be let out.

She doesn’t answer.

Going off-topic, there were times during the show when I really thought Weevil/Veronica might actually happen. In hindsight, however, I don’t think the show was willing to go the route of having its white heroine be with a non-white love interest.

On-topic, at the Mars household, Veronica tries to argue to Keith and Cliff that the attendance records prove Weevil likely isn’t guilty. However, Cliff informs her Weevil has confessed.

Later, in Newspaper, the Logan and Caitlin are talking about how Grandma Weevil was fired. This makes Caitlin happy due to the fact Grandma Weevil was supposedly always rude to her. Veronica interrupts their conversation, and they’re both annoying. When Logan asks if Veronica signed up for Newspaper to be around Duncan, I doubt it was Dohrig’s intention, but the question came across as if Logan’s secretly upset he wasn’t the one partnered with Duncan.

It’s revealed Caitlin and Logan both have computer class during the same period the charges were issued, and Veronica hides her excitement about this information with cheerful sarcasm.

At lunch, Veronica tells Wallace she searched Logan’s browser history in his computer class, and he didn’t make any of the charges. However, he did visit the website of a hotel, and later, the hotel was on the charges.

Later, she goes to find her tire flat, and appearing, Logan lets her know he was responsible without explicitly admitting it.

There’s a cut to Veronica fixing/changing the tire, and Troy appears. They flirt, and he helps her.

Across the parking lot, the Logan and Caitlin watch the scene. Coming over to them, Duncan projects subtle jealously at the scene. Going over, he offers to give Veronica a ride.

During the car rides, things are awkward, and there’s a flashback of Veronica and Lilly driving somewhere. It’s established they’re both in the pep squad, and also, Celeste likes her own daughter maybe only slightly more than she likes Veronica.

Back in the car, Veronica sees Weevil in an orange jumpsuit picking up trash. It’s a powerful shot.

There’s a montage of Veronica and Duncan working on their assignment at the beach, and then, they’re driving back at night. A cop pulls them over. He asks for the license and registration without explaining why he pulled them over, and when Duncan produces it, he asks them to step out of the car.

It turns out the car was Lilly’s, and she had unpaid parking tickets. Therefore, the cop is trying to impound the car.

I don’t think this would work like this in real life for a number of reasons, but I might be completely wrong in my thoughts.

So, Duncan and Veronica both make calls.

Showing up, Jake orders the cop to call Lamb before starting to get his son packed up only to pause when he takes in Veronica’s presence. Keith arrives, and Veronica VOs about the awkwardness of Jake and Keith meeting due to, how the last time they did, Keith accused Jake of killing Lilly.

There’s a montage of flashbacks.

Keith leads her away, and Veronica wonders if she made the wrong choice in siding with her dad.

In the car, Keith asks if she’s hanging around with Duncan again, and at first, Veronica refuses to answer. Then, she says it was just a school project. Asking if they can stop at the hotel, she explains she’s on the credit card case.

Earning a death glare when he makes it clear he still believes Weevil did it, he hastily agrees.

And now, for my favourite scene in the episode.

Angrily dragging Veronica to the desk of the hotel, he yells at the clerk. Veronica convinces him to let her talk on the grounds he’s scaring people. She awkwardly says she’s pregnant, and due to the tequila consumed, she doesn’t remember the name of the guy she checked into the hotel with or even what he looked like. Her dad wants surveillance footage checked. Handing over the credit card bill, she notes, “He had me pay for the room,” in a perfect ‘what is my life’ tone.

So, the clerk all but runs to find a manager, and when she reappears, she explains they only keep video surveillance for two weeks. However, she did get a detailed bill summary for them.

Veronica and Keith leave, and Veronica discovers Caitlin was the one who signed for room service.

At school the next day, Veronica accuses Logan of stealing his parents’ credit cards. She brings up Caitlin signing for room service. Showing uncharacteristic mildness, his response is simply for her to prove it.

The next scene is of Keith bringing a fugitive who escaped into the station.

Back at Neptune, Troy sits down in the quad with Veronica and Wallace. He invites them but especially Veronica to a party of his. She says she’ll consider it.

Elsewhere on the quad, Logan sits down next to Duncan. They look over at where Troy and Caitlin are talking. Logan asks a few questions about Troy, and Duncan gives some exposition on how he and Troy know one another. He says he’s going to get some lunch, and when Logan says he isn’t hungry, Duncan hands him Caitlin’s purse. “You are in charge of your girlfriend’s purse.”

Logan digs her phone out.

There are cuts between Veronica trying out different numbers from the credit card bill and Logan using the phone to realise Caitlin’s been involved with the Weevil cousin.

The next scene has the cousin walking down the hallway, and a few feet behind him, Logan is menacingly making his way to him. Suddenly, Veronica shoves the cousin into the ladies’ room.

Veronica declares, “Moron says what.”

Taking the bait, the cousin responds, “What?”

Veronica confronts him, and he spills out his plan to run away with Caitlin. He also plans to send a confession so Weevil will be released. Veronica lays it out: Caitlin doesn’t love him, and she sure won’t be running away with him.

Insistent she’s wrong, he starts to leave. Veronica warns him about Logan before asking what he’s going to do when Weevil finds out, and he asks how Weevil’s going to find out.

Either he’s not planning to send a confession, or he’s even more of a moron than originally thought.

He continues insisting he and Caitlin are in love, and Veronica asks why she’s dating Logan, then.

In the next scene, Veronica talking to Grandma Weevil at the Weevil house. She knows the cousin was responsible, but whereas, he’s eighteen and has a record, her grandson is only seventeen. Veronica points out Weevil is doing solely to protect Grandma Weevil.

Then, she reveals the cousin has been using the credit cards to treat Caitlin, and Grandma Weevil has as much affection for Caitlin as Caitlin does for her.

The next scene is of Weevil stepping out a squad car in front of the house where Grandma Weevil and Veronica waiting for him.

After hugging his grandma, he thanks Veronica, and the two hug.

Once Grandma Weevil goes in, Veronica explains, not only are the police looking for his cousin, so are the O99ers.

The next scene is of the cousin at Caitlin’s house. She refuses to come out, and Logan and some other 099er boys appear. They surround him, and Logan punches him to the ground. Then, Weevil and the PCHers appear, and ignoring Logan’s attempts to goad him, Weevil rather neutrally says, “Let’s talk.”

The audience doesn’t hear what they say.

Coming back over, Logan orders the 099ers to depart.

Incidentally, this is Dick’s first appearance. Ugh.

At the beach, Weevil has the PCHers beat up his cousin.

Over to the Mars household, Veronica asks Keith why he went after Jake Kane. Refusing to answer, he does say, if he knew all the bad that would come from it, he would have done things differently.

The next scene is of Veronica going to the police station. She VOs about, a few days before Lilly’s death, she and Lilly ordered fake IDs. She gives the desk clerk Lilly’s license plate number along with the fake ID. I guess, if a person just looked at the face and hair, they could mistake Veronica for Lilly, but personally, they don’t look much alike to me. Lamb appears, and the two snark at one another, though, surprisingly, he manages to not blow her plan by addressing her as ‘Veronica Mars’. After he leaves, the desk clerk reappears to inform Veronica the ticket doesn’t have any wiggle room.

Veronica leaves, and as she does so, the clerk addresses her as, ‘Miss Kane’.

Lamb’s head pops out of his office.

At Neptune, sitting at a table, Veronica looks at the ticket. It was issued almost two hours after Lilly’s supposed death. She realises none of the Kanes have alibis. Troy appears, and the two flirt some more. Then, Wallace appears, and the three of them watch as Kaitlin is shunned by the 099ers.

Looking briefly sympathetic, Veronica challenges the boys to a game of some sort, and the three happily leave.

Fin.


End file.
